Some Partner-ly Advice
by radleyboo
Summary: Traci pays Sam a visit at the hospital. Post-S4 finale.


**I did a thing, again. Ana on tumblr wanted the Sam/Traci friendship, so this is what I came up with. **

**Thanks to Shay & Stacy for beta'ing! You guys are the best. **

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"Detective_ Swarek" _Traci greeted as she entered the hospital room, hands full with takeout bags.

"Nash" Sam replied gruffly, curiosity piqued as he eyed the stack in her hands. "That for me?"

Traci chuckled, maneuvering around the flowers and balloons around his room. "Yup. Didn't think you were a flowers kinda guy" she replied, unpacking the Chinese takeout that she'd picked up on her way.

Sam's face lit up as he gratefully took the offering. "You know me well" he mumbled as he slurped the noodles, head thudding back against the pillow. The food at the hospital was shit. He'd threatened to arrest the cook, multiple times. (The nurses had just rolled their eyes and walked out. They did that a lot).

Laughing, Traci tossed some napkins at him before taking a seat. "You're worse than Leo"

Sam shrugged, continuing to devour his chow mein. "How's he doing?"

"Good" Traci replied, digging into her bag to retrieve a stack of cards. "Made you these"

Eyebrows raised, Sam took them, a smile growing on his face as he sifted through Leo's handmade "Get well soon" cards. "He's been busy, eh?"

"Mhmm. Made 'em with Andy yesterday" Traci watched carefully, hiding a smile as she watched Sam stiffen a bit.

He cleared his throat and took out the fortune cookies from the bag. "Tell 'em thank you for me" he responded, leaning away to put the stack of cards on the shelf next to his bed.

"Who?" Traci asked, tongue in cheek.

Sam rolled his eyes, gave her a stern look. "What's going on at 15?"

Traci sighed. "Oh, you know. It's busy."

"I bet" Sam replied, wiping his face with the napkins. "Let me know if I can help with anything. I have no idea when they're letting me out of here"

It was Traci's turn to roll her eyes. "Just focus on getting better, Swarek. They've sent another detective to help out"

"Oh" Sam began, face innocent as ever. "Who?"

Narrowing her eyes, Traci sat back in her chair. "Detective Peck"

"Steve Peck?" Sam asked, still keeping up the innocent facade.

"Yup" Traci replied, popping the p in a way that reminded Sam of McNally.

"How's that going?"

"Better than you and McNally" Traci shot back, eyebrows raised sternly.

It was Sam's turn to look away again, playing with the fortune cookie in his hands.

"She's staying with me. I dragged her home, put some food in her, and put her in front of the TV with Leo to distract her" Traci continued, watching him with her arms folded. "_And_ I held her while she cried."

Sam's head shot up, and he made brief eye contact before looking away again. Swallowed the lump in his throat.

"Helped her breathe into a paper bag when I found her in the bathroom, sobbing her eyes out because that's where she finally lost it. When she got there and saw the blood on her uniform. And you know what she said to me?" Traci leaned forward for effect, knowing he was hanging on to every word coming out of her mouth. "She asked me what she was going to do without you."

Pushing the fortune cookie away, Sam folded his arms, staring away stubbornly as Traci kept going. "She asked me what she was supposed to do with her life if something happened to you. And for the first time-_for the first time_, Sam, I didn't have the answers."

Traci huffed, shrugging. "She wanted you. Because you're her person. I couldn't provide the comfort, or the answers, because all she wanted was you, and you were lying there, fighting for your life, and she couldn't even get updates on your condition because she's neither your family, nor an emergency contact."

Inhaling deeply, Sam let out a breath in a huff, cracking open the fortune cookie.

"And I promised myself, in that moment. That as soon as you woke up, I was going to smack your head to knock some sense into it. To lock both of you in a room, so you could sort out this crap," Traci continued, pulling the fortune cookie away. "Because that's what Jerry would do"

"Because that's what Jerry would _want_" she added, tone softening. "He wouldn't want this. He wouldn't want you to waste your life away, faking, avoiding the hard stuff. He'd want you to be happy."

When Sam's eyes softened, Traci changed her tone, mocking Jerry to lighten the moment. "Sammy,_ buddy, _stop being an idiot. Just call her, man"

Both laughed at the impression, before Traci stood up abruptly, picking up the empty container of food, signaling the end of their conversation. "You have your phone, right?"

Sam nodded, disconnecting it from his charger and holding it up.

"Think you know what to do, then" she added, tossing away the containers and putting on her jacket. "Stop letting her think you need space. You need _her. _And she, _you_"

Sam nodded again as Traci started putting on her gloves. "I'm outta here"

"Uhh, thanks for lunch" Sam choked out, clearing his throat.

Traci just nodded back in reply, smiling. His words had suggested he was only talking about dinner but his eyes spoke different. As his partner, she'd picked up on his tells. The half-smile was a silent acknowledgement that she'd gotten through to him, but he wasn't one to talk about the hard stuff.

Nodding once more, Traci picked her bag and started walking out.

"And Swarek?" she called out over her shoulder.

"Yes, Nash?" Sam asked, his tone a little sarcastic.

"Look at the last card" Traci ordered, walking out with her head shaking.

Curious, Sam turned back to the discarded cards, pulling out the last one. A lump formed in his throat as he observed it. It was a handmade drawing, a Christmas tree surrounded by people. Names were written above each. On one side was Steve, Traci and Leo, but the other side was what had Sam's heart thudding.

He recognized the neat, loopy handwriting.

The first picture was of him, wearing his classic red tee and what he guessed were supposed to be jeans. His hand was wrapped around that of another stick figure, tall, dark brown hair, wearing a red shirt. 'Andy' written neatly above her head. And the third was yet another tiny stick figure, a small black dog. _Boo. _

Grinning, Sam picked up his phone. Hit speed dial three.

Pulled out the fortune from the fortune cookie, nervously straightening it while the phone rang.

"Hello?" came the voice from the other line.

Sam paused as he read the fortune. C_onquer your fears, or they will conquer you. _

"McNally."


End file.
